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#39 Baylor Softball 2020 Preview

After eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Baylor had a very forgettable 2019 campaign. The Lady Bears did not just miss the postseason, they won just two Big 12 games and finished with Coach Glenn Moore’s first ever losing season. But Baylor can forget about last year. Injuries derailed the season before it even began, but now pitcher Gia Rodoni and outfielders Kyla Walker and Maddison Kettler are expected to return to their former form. Two years ago Rodoni led the Big 12 in strikeouts and went 23-12 with a 2.32 ERA. Walker has hit over .400 three times and the Bears really missed her consistency at the plate.

2019: 18-31, 2-16

2019 Postseason: None

Coach: Glenn Moore

Key Departed Players:

Kassidy Krupit, IF, .235 BA, 10 HR, 29 RBI

Regan Green, P, 2.98 ERA, 3-6 W/L, 51.2 IP, 47 SO

Key Returning Players:

Goose McGlaun, UTL, .341 BA, 3 HR, 13 RBI

Nicky Dawson, IF, .336 BA, 15 RBI, 12 SB

Ana Watson, OF, .280 BA, 1 HR, 13 RBI

Lou Gilbert, OF, .269 BA, 13 RBI

Taylor Ellis, IF/C, .261 BA, 4 HR, 14 RBI

Sidney Holman-Mansell, P, 3.65 ERA, 10-18 W/L, 170.2 IP, 130 SO

Madison Lindsey, P, 3.93 ERA, 3-4 W/L, 51.2 IP, 29 SO

Projection:

With all of those injuries, Baylor did force some other players into larger roles. That experience will come in handy this year. Goose McGlaun and Nicky Dawson had decent years at the plate, but the offense overall was extremely disappointing, scoring just 2.92 runs per game. Freshmen tallied 45 percent of Baylor’s at-bats so it was not a huge surprise that they struggled. The year of experience and the return of Walker and Kettler will help turn it around quickly. Baylor is also suddenly deep in the circle. Rodoni should be the ace of the staff, but Sidney Holman-Mansell played relatively well despite being thrown into the fire and playing in most of the games. She will be a solid number two pitcher. Suddenly this is a pretty experienced team and nobody expects Baylor to miss out on the NCAA Tournament again in 2020. However, they will need to stay healthy or the Lady Bears will end another season in disappointment.